Here it is, the long-awaited NZ equivalent of my greatest hit singles/albums of all time list I made a while back. Just like last time, I’ll be presenting this as a countdown, meaning that each entry will be more successful than the last as we go down this list. The main difference here of course is that unlike here in Australia, there was only one chart in NZ over the years, meaning that there won’t be multiple entries from singles/albums from the late 80’s/90’s/00’s like there was on my Australian list. Also, I won’t be including entries from the RIANZ charts given how they didn’t track album sales and that they were based on popular votes rather than sales, that and there was only ever a top twenty which means there’s a good chance they were struggling to fill out the top twenty each week during its run.
#1400
It appears the kiwis were also hungry for more material from the Eagles this far into the 80's given how this second edition of their greatest hits package was also a huge success over there like it was over here. Unfortunately, fans would have to wait a quarter of a century before the band finally gave them new material after the release of this album.
#1399
I'm a bit surprised this wasn't even more popular in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing the kiwis weren't too impressed with Estelle's performance on here (I personally find it to be rather flat) and only came on board due to the song having a guest verse from Kanye West who's presumably the American boy she's referring to in the lyrics.
#1398
This was released slightly sooner in NZ than it was here in Australia, or more accurately, it charted sooner given how it didn't receive a physical release until the early months of this year in either country. While this did become a hit over there slightly sooner than it did over here, it wound up being more popular here likely due to it dominating our digital charts once it did crossover here.
#1397
It feels weird that this song released exclusively in Australia NZ and the UK would be the biggest hit off her I'm not dead album in NZ, so much so that I'm willing to be it was the reason why the album finally took off over there despite it already being one of the biggest albums of the decade here in Australia by the time this was released as a single.
#1396
This wasn't as big a hit for Mika in NZ as it was here in Australia, although at least it was a success over there as opposed to the rest of the songs from his debut album which all failed to find an audience over there like they did over here. I guess the kiwis found his more to be far more niche than us Aussies did even though his album was a massive success over there this year.
#1395
This managed to be slightly bigger in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly due to it sticking around for slightly longer over there which further proves that juvenile humour was more in vogue throughout the 00's than it was before and especially since (this was the decade where Freidberg and Seltzer thrived after all.) At least Eminem's has clearly moved on from this phase of his career as has all of his fanbase.
#1394
OK I think we've gawked at this cover enough on this site already, so let's just focus on the song itself which was indeed a massive hit for Loverboy in NZ like it was here in Australia this year. Whereas at least the band had a minor follow up in Australia with "Working for the weekend" the following year, they remain a one hit wonder with this track about being in a crazy relationship.
#1393
This was the only hit that Don Williams was able to achieve in his entire career, although at least it was a massive success in NZ this year likely due to this being a strangely good year for country music given how it was also a good year for disco during its supposed dark age period.
#1392
This video can count itself lucky that I only included videos from hit singles from Australia on my weirdest videos of the 80's list, it would've been a shoe in for that list had it been a bigger hit down under which is odd because that's exactly how it became a success for Jackie Wilson in NZ and the UK. Admittedly this was a minor hit down under upon its initial release thirty years prior for what it's worth.
#1391
This was the second hit that the Sugababes managed to achieve in NZ and their native UK, it was also their first hit here in Australia given how popular this was on our radio even though it took a while for it to crossover here after it became an international hit for them. They would have two more hits over there later in the decade, both of which were also hits for them here in Australia.
#1390
Well given how even we Aussies were able to recognise the genius of this track about trying to get a hold of De la soul from around this time (it cracks me up every time I listen to it) it was only inevitable that it would be a massive hit for the trio in NZ given how the kiwis were more susceptible to hip hop from around this time than we Aussies were.
#1389
This had the same amount of success in NZ as it did here in Australia, although it did chart lower over there in exchange for lasting longer on the charts overall as opposed to it going straight to number one over here. His popularity in the southern hemisphere while exceptional compared to most other artists on this list, was barely noteworthy compared to what he achieved in his native UK throughout the decade.
#1388
Unlike in Australia where there was more than one track celebrating what a lovely place Rio is (whatever you say guys) in NZ it was only Michael Nesmith's endorsement of the capital of Brazil that was a success over there. This was his third hit in the southern hemisphere as both "Joanne" and "Silver moon" where huge hits in both countries from the start of the decade.
#1387
I'm a bit surprised this wasn't an even bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia, mainly because both artists in question were seeing a ton of success around this time with songs that barely even touched the Australian charts. Although now that I think about it, that's probably why this wasn't even bigger given the other choices the kiwis had at their disposal from them at the time of its release.
#1386
This was released much later in NZ for Ann Lee than it was in Australia, so much so that it peaked in the 00's despite having some of its success in 90's over there which goes to show how long it took for them to gravitate towards this dance pop number from the British vocalist. It was equally as successful in both countries, and it also led to her being a one hit wonder in the southern hemisphere.
#1385
This was a massive hit for Barbra Streisand in NZ just like it was throughout the rest of the world, although it wasn't her only solo hit in NZ that wasn't from a film or a show as her cover of "Memory" from the Cats musical would also be a success for her over there later in the decade (bearing in mind that said cover wasn't included on the Cats soundtrack.)
#1384
Much like Sporty Spice from the previous year, the solo debut single from Baby Spice also managed to be more successful in NZ than it was here in Australia, again likely because British artists had more of an advantage over there than they did over here for some reason. Apart from this being twice as successful over there as it was over here, her solo career trajectory was identical in both countries.
#1383
Well, these guys were more successful in NZ this year than they were here in Australia, mainly because they still have another entry to come on this list which was the song that finally got them into the mainstream after a long two year wait they had to make in obscurity from the release of their debut album.
#1382
This was the biggest hit from the KLF over in NZ, likely due to the presence of Tammy Wynette who despite never scoring a hit in NZ (at least as far as I'm aware) did give a compelling enough performance to make this stand out from the rest of their catalogue. The duo would release one more single from the album before curiously calling it quits.
#1381
This was more of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm guessing because the kiwis didn't find Timbaland "presenting" these guys to be as gimmicky as we Aussies did (I still don't get the point of that to this day.) Indeed, the band would overall find more success over there due to their second album spawning a huge hit for them over there that didn't even chart over here.
#1380
Following the success of his breakthrough album from earlier in the decade in NZ, Russell Watson was able to find success with his follow up album over there largely thanks to him being well known along the other artists in the classical music genre on this list. His popularity would die out with his next album largely due to the classical music boom ending once it finally came out.
#1379
Given how the kiwis were more into hair metal compared to us Aussies, it makes sense that this album from Whitesnake would be a massive success over there even if it came at the expense of the singles bombing on their charts. Not that the singles did that well here in Australia, however they at least stuck around for quite some time where they would easily be considered sleeper hits here.
#1378
It's weird that this greatest hits package from Stevie Nicks was more of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia considering that Stevie never had much success on her own over there like she did over here throughout the 80's.
#1377
Even though he only scored one hit in his entire career as well as tragically passing away three years after said hit ("E ipo" from 1982 if you didn't know) Prince Tui Teka managed to achieve massive success posthumously with this greatest hits package going over most of his work that was overlooked during his lifetime in his homeland.
#1376
Well unlike in Australia, Barbra Streisand was far from the most popular artists in NZ which does make the success this greatest hits package a bit more confusing over there. Still, it was a success, likely due to the bonus track also coming from Neil Diamond's successful album of the same name which was also a success over there (stay tuned for it.)
#1375
This was way more successful over in NZ for the Carpenter than it was here in Australia, mainly due to there being now Countdown equivalent over there for this to be a victim of but also due to the singles being much bigger over there than they were over here for the duo.
#1374
For the third time, a greatest hits package from Little River band with the exact same name managed to become a massive success over in NZ, I'd say this was a tradition that they would begin each new decade with this phenomenon, except there was no such album in the 2010's to become a success over there.
#1373
I guess the kiwis were also massive fans of Packed to the rafters given how this theme song from the show managed to be an even bigger hit over there than it was here in Australia for Eric Hutchinson. Because of the unique way this became a hit for him in the southern hemisphere, it's since been regarded as something that was commissioned for TV jingles rather than it being a genuine singer/songwriter ballad.
#1372
Although Fall out boy did see the bulk of their success here in Australia on our digital charts, that didn't necessarily mean they would find more success over in NZ as aside from this lead single going to number one over there where it failed to do so over here, they didn't have any success with their other singles even though they certainly did over here.
#1371
Much like his previous appearance on this site, this was also a double entry from Scribe which comprised of "Dreaming" and "So nice" which meant that both songs were able to become his second chart topper over there and no doubt led to the success he achieved here in Australia this year.
#1370
This had a bit of a delay to its success in Australia given how it was already a huge hit in NZ by the time it was released as a single down under, indeed the kiwis and the Brits were the reasons why this was a hit for Fat Larry's band as this was a massive flop in his native America likely due to it sounding like it belonged in the previous decade.
#1369
This was an even bigger hit for Tom Cochrane in NZ, I'm guessing because heartland rock was still popular in NZ when it was beginning to lose its steam here in Australia by this point of the 90's. Then again, you've likely noticed that rock music in general seemed to be doing better in NZ this year, I guess we Aussies wanted to support our local music scene which was more about dance pop.
#1368
This is a bit weird considering how this was a huge number one hit in Australia despite it being the second single from a highly successful album and yet it was only a top ten (albeit still huge) hit in NZ where successful albums generally didn't impact the success of a single (at least back in the day.) The song was still huge likely due to it being another history lesson set to a catchy disco beat from Boney M.
#1367
Well, he did have a minor hit in Australia with his rendition of "Madame butterfly" in the mid 80's, so can we really be so surprised that Malcolm McLaren had a huge hit this year with a semi novelty track about opera music taking over the mainstream? This was the last time he troubled the charts anywhere in the world as the former Sex pistols manager struggled for mainstream relevancy after this,
#1366
And the obvious sampling from Puff Daddy continues as he takes David Bowie's "Let's dance" and reworks it as another tribute to Biggie Smalls given how he has the rapper posthumously appear on this track along with Ma$e (again for a second time) and some other rappers that he simply credits as The family. It was a massive hit for everyone involved in NZ and their native America at the time.
#1365
This had a bit of a delay to its success over in NZ compared to here in Australia, normally this means that the song was even bigger over there as that tends to be the case with tardy releases from either country, however it wasn't as it proved to be much bigger here in Australia at the turn of the decade. I guess the consolation prize is that she managed to score a second hit this year which is still to come on this list.
#1364
Crash test dummies success in NZ was the complete inverse of what it was here in Australia, that being the album was more successful over there than the single even though both of them were massively successful in the southern hemisphere this year for the Canadian band. It still staggers me that they didn't have any success with this track in their homeland and they remain a one hit wonder internationally with this.
#1363
I told you this was a much bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia, I'm not sure what Diesel did to earn so much success over there this year but whatever it was he got it. This led to his second single (which is still to come on this list) as well as his solo album becoming a massive success over there.
#1362
Well, I'm hoping that the band managed to achieve what they set out to do in their song and music video they released this year, after all there were a lot of people who felt touched by their genuine concern for those who had been brought up in the video which were able to bring to life the lyrics about how running away from your problems will only cause pain and heartache in the long run.
#1361
In many parts of the world, this was Madonna's final chart topper for an entire decade as she wouldn't reach the top spot again until her hit "Music" from 2000. That said certainly the case for her in the southern hemisphere as she went through all of the 90's without having that chart topper despite pumping out hit after hit from each of her albums.
#1360
There was no stopping Mariah Carey this year as she managed to score her second hit single this year with a cover of a popular track, this time she enlists the help of Luther Vandross, or rather he enlists her help by bringing this track from Diana Ross and Lionel Richie from 1981 to a (then) modern audience.
#1359
One of the best live action Disney films (remember when they used to be good and original?) was Cool Runnings, a semi biographical film about the first Jamaican bob sledge team who competed in the 1988 winter Olympics. True the film made a bunch of stuff up as the idea of Jamaicans bob sledging even in the 80's was welcomed with open arms, however the film remains a classic to this day. The theme song came from Jimmy Cliff who covered the Johnny Nash classic to provide the theme.
#1358
Well, these guys certainly like to that their sweet time in releasing new music, this was their second album and the only album they released this decade given how their first album came out in 1997 and their third (and to date final) album came out in 2014. I guess they really do live up to the laid-back persona that this album manages to convey which I'm guessing connected with fans of Jack Johnson over there.
#1357
This was a massive success for Van Morrison this year in NZ, likely due to him embracing his Celtic heritage on the album during a time where Celtic music was among the most popular trends in the mainstream over there. Somehow this wasn't enough to impress us Aussies who seemed to be determined in leaving this guy in the 70's, although he did find success here with his greatest hits package in 1990.
#1356
Much like in Australia, this album from Art Garfunkel likely took off in NZ due to the success of his theme to the animated film Watership down becoming a huge success for him over there. It was his only successful album over there as far as I can tell, although it's possible his solo efforts from earlier in the decade were also big hits over there.
#1355
This was the final album that Led zeppelin released as a unit worldwide, naturally it would be a success in NZ given how they were one of the biggest bands of the decade over there despite not releasing an album since the midpoint of the decade.
#1354
I guess the kiwis had a slightly different album to cash in off the success they had from the Ghost soundtrack around this time, it proved to be an even bigger hit than the album that charted here in Australia.
#1353
This will be the only song from Simple Plan to reappear on this side of my site, I guess the kiwis could only stomach one of their songs making it big in their mainstream as opposed to us Aussies who gave them a string of hits over here back in the day from their first two albums. They're one of the most loathed bands of all time on the internet, and unlike other bands in this vein, I won't argue against their infamy.
#1352
Given how this was released around the time of MJ's death, it's impressive that this song from Jordin Spark's second album managed to be as successful in both countries in the southern hemisphere as each other given how the deaf of the king of pop shook up the world quite badly when it happened. I bring this up because the song feels oddly appropriate to what his legacy has gone through since his tragic passing.
#1351
This proved to be a massive hit for Evermore in their homeland this year, in fact, it appears that the success of their two hit singles over there was the inverse of what they achieved over here as "Light surrounding you" was far less successful over there despite it being one of the biggest hits of the decade over here. Admittedly this song's weak placement on the Australian side of this site was due to digital sales not being incorporated by ARIA during its initial run.
#1350
I guess the kiwis weren't as on board with Gwen Stefani's solo career than we Aussies were, then again, I have noticed that she hasn't had as much success in her career up until this point in general given how much weaker her hits with No doubt were over there. That said, this was still a massive hit for her over there which is certainly more than I can say about how it did in her native America where it flopped.
#1349
Given how they had one of the biggest albums of the decade in their homeland, it only makes sense that Fat Freddy's drop would achieve a huge hit from said album which no doubt helped it achieve its best seller status over there and even likely sparked international interest in the band that helped them become a cult classic.
#1348
You'd think that Akon's popularity in NZ compared to what it was here in Australia was due to him dominating their digital charts, however you'd be wrong as he actually thrived on our physical singles charts here in Australia. I guess this means that the kiwis were genuinely more interested in listening to his music than we Aussies were regardless of what format they wanted to hear it from.
#1347
I guess the kiwis were also amused by this fusion of hard rock and club music to make it a massive hit for Cobra Starship like the rest of the world was, in fact their success over there was exactly the same as it was over here given how both of their hits over here saw the same amount of success over there and they had no other hits in either country.
#1346
This proved to be equally as popular in NZ as it was here in Australia for the German EDM group Cascada, likely because this was released during the early phases of the club boom that would explode in popularity the following year likely due to how the lyrics encourage a party atmosphere despite the name of the song suggesting otherwise. Although this was their only hit in both countries, they were far more successful throughout Europe.
#1345
This proved to be a slightly bigger hit for Rihanna over in NZ than the first lead single to the deluxe edition of her third album, I'm guessing because it makes for surprisingly good Halloween music which likely reminded the kiwis of MJ's Thriller given how that album was rereleased this year for its 25th anniversary. I guess this wasn't the case for us Aussies even though it was still a massive hit over here regardless.
#1344
There were no signs of BEP's popularity slowing down during the midpoint of the decade, as such it's little surprise that the lead single to their second album with Fergie managed to be a massive success over in NZ like it was here in Australia thanks to it being a song where the three rappers are seemingly pining over her affection.
#1343
I'm sure if their fellow Americans didn't blacklist disco by this point in the 80's, these guys would've found as much success on Billboard as they did in NZ and the UK. This was their only hit in NZ, although their album Tropical gangsters was a massive success over there which I'm guessing more than made up for the fact their other two UK hits weren't as such there.
#1342
This was a massive hit in NZ considering that it was only decently successful in Australia and ABC's native UK, I guess the kiwis were invested in this story about how Martin Fry had his heart stomped by this person who he gave his love to. Out of all the two hit wonders in Australia from this year, these guys were the most successful over there as they would go on to have moderate success as the decade went on.
#1341
This was surprisingly hard to pull up information on from the internet, from what I can gather, To be continued was an RNB group from America that the kiwis somehow discovered this year as they gave them a massive hit this year with this track despite this flopping on the Billboard charts.
#1340
This was an even bigger success for Guns N Roses in NZ than it was in Australia, as were all of their singles given how rock music seemed to be more welcomed over there than it was over here at least for the most part. I wouldn't have thought these guys would hold Queen in high regard, however it turns out they did as this song had its proceeds donated to Freddie Mercury's estate following his tragic passing.
#1339
Even though he saw massive success in NZ during his first two albums, Billy Idol had little issues with this being his biggest hit over there despite it being a more subdue track from his earlier entries and the album it served as the lead single for being less successful than his previous efforts. I guess comparatively speaking this was a step back for his popularity, but he was still bigger than most by this point.
#1338
Well given how this was the theme to a 90's blaxploitation film (who knew they still existed at this point) it makes sense that it would be performed by a bunch of musicians of colour who referred to themselves as Black Men United. It seems odd they would waste such a confrontational name of a supergroup on what is essentially a cheesy RNB ballad from an otherwise erotic film.
#1337
Given how much more popular Snoop Dogg was throughout the 90's in NZ than he was here in Australia, it makes sense that this comeback of his proved to be a bigger hit over there than it was over here even though this was the start of what I and many others have dubbed "chill Snoop" where he's laid back and no longer exploitative towards women in his music.
#1336
Given how these guys already had success in NZ as part of their main band Talking heads, Chris Fantz and Tina Weymouth AKA the Tom tom club managed to score a huge hit over in NZ with their rendition of a Drifters track from nearly two decades prior but not here in Australia due to their lack of success here.
#1335
Unlike in Australia where these guys didn't have much success past the boy band wars save for their cover of a Billy Joel classic, it appears the kiwis still had plenty of love for one of the finalists of the second boy band wars of the 90's as the lead single to their second album proved to be a massive success to the point where said album was also a hit for them over there.
#1334
This proved to be equally as successful in both countries from the southern hemisphere, this is quite impressive given how this song had much stiffer competition over in NZ given how no song had its release tampered with over there like they did over here which suggests it was actually more popular over there for Nelly than it was over here.
#1333
This was an even bigger hit in NZ than it was here in Australia, although I should point out that if Triple J did its annual rankings this early in the decade, this easily would've been voted number one for 1991 given how it was voted the best song of all time on its third all-time list. That's about the only new information I have for this iconic classic.
#1332
While this had a somewhat delayed release in NZ, the kiwis more than made up for this by having it be a far bigger hit over there than it was here in Australia. In fact, the band was even able to score a second minor hit around this time with "I wanna rock," a song you may recognise if you're a SpongeBob fan as it was parodied in the first SpongeBob squarepants film.
#1331
While this did last a little bit longer on the NZ charts than it did here in Australia, it wasn't that much longer, which suggests that this song's popularity just faded rather quickly in both countries as opposed to it being pulled from shelves like some of the other songs to see massive improvements in these rankings. We Aussies made up for this not being as big over here by giving him a second minor hit with "Thoia thoing" this year.
#1330
While this wasn't as big a hit in NZ as it was in Australia (mainly due to it not clinging to the charts forever in a day over there) it was still a massive hit for N trance likely due to the kiwis having nostalgia for the Rod Stewart classic it samples as well as them finally opening up to EDM around this time.
#1329
While this charted higher in NZ than it did here in Australia, it overall wasn't as big a hit over there for Yazz as it was down under, proving that even early on, we Aussies would turn out to love the dance floors more than the kiwis. This is a cover of an obscure track from the start of the decade, although I don't think many people would realise that given how infectious this is over the original.
#1328
From what I can gather, L.A.D was an American rapper who scored his one and only hit in hit discography in NZ of all places with this track with the assistance of an RNB singer named Darvy Taylor, who I think was also an American singer. Neither man had any success in their native America, so I could be entirely wrong about their nationalities, and they could actually be kiwis for all I know.
#1327
Given how they were arguably more popular in NZ than they were here in Australia, it makes sense that Icehouse would have this greatest hits package overlooking the first ten years of their success be popular over there like it was over here during the transition from the 80's to the 90's.
#1326
Well considering it was an Australian film released fairly late from the previous year, it makes sense that the soundtrack to arguably one of the best LGBT films ever created would only become a success in NZ this year when the film finally made it to cinemas. The soundtrack was also a huge success over there likely due to all of the remixes of the popular tracks featured in the film which still persist on oldies stations to this day.
#1325
It appears the kiwis were much more receptive towards the Chemical brothers back in the day than we Aussies were, this is particularly strange given how like Portishead, they were from the alternative dance scene which you'd think we Aussies would be all over at the time. I guess all of that promotion on Triple J could only do so much for these guys down under compared to their international appeal.
#1324
This was the album known as Corroboree in Australia, it was named as such in both countries based on the term of their respective indigenous people (now known as aboriginals or first nations.) I guess if there had of been a more consistent name of the album worldwide then it likely would've done even better in both countries, but it was a still a hit regardless.
#1323
Given how much the kiwis have loved U2 over the years (although not in the 00's funnily enough) it only makes sense that this greatest hits package from them would be a massive hit even with the success of their previous two albums of this vein from within a decade of each other.
#1322
Well at least this song managed to be a huge success over in NZ for P!nk even if said success pales in comparison to what it achieved here in Australia and even in her native America given how this was her first song as a lead artist to top the Billboard charts despite how successful she'd been over there throughout the decade. Indeed, she would only have one more Billboard chart topper with "Just give me a reason" in 2013.
#1321
One thing that I've found annoying since the late 00's is how homogenised the music scene from each country worldwide has become, nowadays there's always several songs from bands and artists that will receive the same amount of success regardless of where in the world you're from such as Katy Perry who saw minimal changes to her success over the years with each of her singles and albums popularity.
#1320
Although Shakira never had as much success in NZ as she did here in Australia, it's worth noting that she was still quite popular with her singles over there as evidence by this bonus track from the deluxe edition of her second English album. Like in Australia, she would have one more hit with Beyonce the following year before sadly fading into obscurity in both countries.
#1319
It was only inevitable that the winner of the first season of NZ Idol would achieve massive success in his homeland following his victory on the show, such was the fate for Ben Lummis who wowed his fellow kiwis with his brand of RNB which resulted in this chart topper for him. Sadly, NZ Idol didn't have as much staying power over there as the Australian counterpart over here as this remains his only hit.
#1318
Keri Hilson was on a roll over in NZ as this became her biggest hit over there thanks to how much good will she had following her breakthrough with Timbaland from two years prior, here she recruits Kanye West and Ne-Yo for this song about how she's fallen for the person she's singing to (likely Ne-Yo since he takes up quite a lot of time on this song.) It would be her final hit outside of her native America.
#1317
It appears the kiwis were on board with the idea of the three sons of Tito Jackson (that's they story behind their band name by the way) having an RNB career over there than the rest of the world as it was released slightly sooner over there than it was here in Australia and in the UK. It wound up being a massive hit everywhere except for their native America likely due to their connections with their uncle.
#1316
I guess the kiwis loved this ballad from Leo Sayer more than anything else in his career, admittedly it's possible that his other entry on this list was bigger over there given how there was a shockingly big gap during most of the summer of 1976/1977 over there, however, as is this was his biggest hit as far as I can tell.
#1315
This was more of a success due to Neil Diamond's presence in NZ given how Barbra Streisand had only had one hit over there by this point, still it was a massive success for the duo which enabled it and the album of the same name to be a success over there.
#1314
This was Bic Runga's biggest hit from her homeland, naturally you'd think this ballad would also be a massive hit here in Australia given how "Sway" became as such from her debut album in lieu of said albums success over here. Alas that wasn't the case as she remains a one hit wonder over here despite her being more popular this decade in her homeland than she was upon her initial breakthrough.
#1313
This is a song that's meant to inspire the listener not to stress out about not achieving everything they want all at once because as the song puts it, Rome wasn't built in a day and thus good things tend to take time to happen. It was a very uplifting song that connect with the kiwis and their fellow Brits back in the day, although it didn't seem to be the case here in Australia despite me hearing it quite a bit back then.
#1312
This was the one and only hit from the NZ indie band Goodshirt, a band who looked like they wouldn't be able to score any success with their debut album when it was released the previous year but saw their fortunes change when this track about a childhood friend of theirs named Sophie became a surprise hit for them this year.
#1311
Regardless of whether it was due to the theme of the lyrics or it being attached to a buddy comedy film or even if it was another hit from Coolio, this track from the rapper managed to become an even bigger success in NZ than it did here in Australia and even his native America from around this time.
#1310
This wasn't as inescapable in NZ as it was here in Australia, in fact Sheryl Crow is essentially a one hit wonder in NZ as none of her other singles managed to become a success for her. At least her album was still a success even if it wasn't as big as it was here or especially her native America.
#1309
I guess this song was only popular for its usage in Daredevil over in NZ as it didn't linger around once Evanescence's debut album dropped like it did here in Australia, although that didn't mean the band wasn't successful over there given how popular their subsequent follow up singles were as well as the album they were pulled from. They even found success later in the decade with their second album over there.
#1308
This was the first big hit that Boyz II Men had in NZ, it came a full year prior to when they broke chart records with "End of the road" which means they didn't come completely out of nowhere over there when they became the biggest musical act in the world. Here this is a ballad about how hard it is to move on from a situation, a song that's been played in various different scenarios to differing levels of success.
#1307
Although this wasn't as big as "Uptown girl" for Billy Joel in NZ, it was a decent second place given how it was released exactly ten years after that track as well as it being his final hit single anywhere in the world to date. I still don't know why he called it quits after this track other than perhaps wanting to end his recording career on a high note.
#1306
This was more of a triumphant return for the Bee Gees in NZ considering A: this was a much bigger hit over there than it was over here and B: their 1987 surprise hit "You win again" wasn't as such over there making this their first hit in NZ since the late 70's.
#1305
This was an even bigger hit in NZ as was the other big hit these guys had in Australia from earlier on this list, indeed Color me badd were more successful in NZ in general due to them being closer to the RNB and hip-hop categories which meant they were prime for success over there. Their success was limited to their first album as was the case throughout the rest of the world.
#1304
It turns out this was produced by Shania Twain's (then) husband Robert Mutt Lange, that explains why I and many others always felt this was a Shania Twain track as opposed to something from the Irish family group. It appears this was the reason why this became a massive success over in NZ despite them struggling to score a hit single throughout the 90's over there like they did over here.
#1303
So, this is a surprise entry, mainly because it was a massive hit here in Australia upon its initial release two years prior and yet it only became a success in NZ this year following the premiere of the TV show. This was also the case in the UK, so perhaps this was an international thing where audiences were ambivalent on the film but fell in love with the TV series.
#1302
So, Eddy Grant was able to score three hit singles in NZ throughout the 80's, none of them was the song he scored a huge hit with here in Australia or over in America which should give you an idea of what the kiwis wanted from this guy compared to us Aussies and Americans. Still, this was his biggest hit in his native UK even taking into account his work with his old band the Equals.
#1301
John Rowles is best known for his 1968 it "If I only had time" outside of his native NZ, in his NZ it wasn't even his biggest hit as that honour goes to this track he scored a decade later over there.
